noun

• 1A public entertainment consisting of a procession of people in elaborate, colorful costumes, or an outdoor performance of a historical scene.

  ‘Street pageants, parades and outdoor concerts have been lined-up to entertain locals and visitors and the street spectacular should not be missed for those who enjoy the magic of performance arts.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘They have produced full-scale scripted plays, but their outdoor pageants are the breathtaking highlight of the Public Dreams year.’
  • ‘The festivities climax tomorrow in a royal state procession and a colourful pageant of music, dance and theatre.’
  • ‘The entertainment value of the pageant from the celebrity panel to the colourful performances of the contestants will be able to interest and excite people not only in the show but in the package itself.’
  • ‘Haworth celebrated the Jubilee with a historical pageant of tableaux representing such events and personalities of the reign as Amy Johnson and the burial of the Unknown Warrior.’
  • ‘Good Friday processions and pageants took place in villages and towns throughout south Wiltshire - and the dry, sunny weather brought out the crowds in their hundreds.’
  • ‘Indigenous dances are used in historical pageants.’
  • ‘There, pageants and performances could be presented against the authentic background of Clifford's Tower and the Castle Museum buildings.’
  • ‘The centerpiece of the 1954 Tostal was a historical pageant at Tara.’
  • ‘Wanamaker's was known for its stained-glass windows, elaborate store displays, and spectacles including organ concerts, pageants, and storybook characters in show windows.’
  • ‘The U.S. Army occasionally used Civil War battlefields for war games, and in the early twentieth century - the era of great historical pageants - battle re-enactments were common.’
  • ‘The crowds at this year's Puck Fair seemed bigger than usual as locals mingled with tourists and returned emigrants for one of the oldest and most colourful pageants in the country.’
  • ‘With pageants, plays, processions and al fresco films plus wizards, workshops and walks, getting into the mood with some local music, food and drink will be easy.’
  • ‘In the countryside, religious festivals, processions, and pageants take place throughout the year.’
  • ‘The colourful pageant marks the start of a country-wide programme of more than 600 entertainments at key historical sites, which aims to attract 10 million visitors.’
  • ‘A variety of celebrations are under consideration, including a pageant of the town's history, a statue although the subject continues to be a matter of controversy and a street party for children.’
  • ‘Yesterday, as the 160th Lonach Highland Games were turned into a colourful pageant, Robin Williams took part in the Bellabeg hill race for the third consecutive year.’
  • ‘It will feature the school band, school choir, dancing as well as a history pageant featuring St. Patrick, King Henry V111, and Famous Irish Women.’
  • ‘It's a grand pageant set in elaborate 17th century costumes of wigs, breeches, tights and ruffs.’
  • ‘A fusion of pageants, marching bands, pomp, ceremony and celebration resurrected the spirit of St Patrick's Day in Dublin yesterday.’

  Synonyms

  parade, procession, cavalcade, scene, play, representation, tableau, tableau vivant

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1North American A beauty contest.
     ‘The celebrations in Samokov also included a contest between Roma orchestras, a beauty pageant and a football tournament.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Unlike a traditional beauty pageant the contest is a talent showcase.’
     • ‘Years ago I had a friend who was a beauty pageant contestant.’
     • ‘A small crowd had gathered and applauded as each contestant arrived for the beginning of the week-long beauty pageant.’
     • ‘The 2003 Tourism Festival kicked off last Friday night with a variety show and the final of a beauty pageant contest in the Suzhou Sports Centre.’
     • ‘And since we're talking about promoting a beauty pageant, aren't you curious about how these women see themselves?’
     • ‘Plans for an American-style beauty pageant featuring children in Manchester have been scrapped after organisers were criticised by councillors.’
     • ‘I asked her once if she was ever in a beauty pageant before.’
     • ‘His daughters, he said, should know their own worth; they didn't need to prove themselves in a beauty pageant.’
     • ‘He uses the money to enter Lisa in a beauty pageant sponsored by a tobacco company, where, through a technicality, she wins.’
     • ‘Apparently, there are more than a hundred Filipino organizations in Hawaii, and many of them sponsor a beauty pageant to raise funds.’
     • ‘Being in a beauty pageant has always appeared to be about good looks and I used to be a detractor but I've learnt that you need to back up the beauty with brains.’
     • ‘The Miss World pageant is an international beauty pageant founded in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951.’
     • ‘Wearing a dress made of pineapple would turn anyone's head - especially those belonging to judges of a beauty pageant.’
     • ‘After entering and winning a Florida beauty pageant, Constance was encouraged to try to pursue a career in acting.’
     • ‘Then, for one night, the seamstresses turn into princesses for a unique beauty pageant.’
     • ‘In the 1990's, the Miss Brazil pageant changed its rules to allow plastic surgery, hair extensions and colored contact lenses.’
     • ‘I hope this pageant can reflect women's strong desire to beautify themselves and seek after their own unique style.’
     • ‘She reprints a cartoon that shows three women in bathing suits and sashes as if in a Miss America pageant.’
  2. 1.2historical A scene erected on a fixed stage or moving vehicle as a public show.
     ‘In 1576 actor James Burbage built London's first public theater, known simply as The Theatre, which was an open-air structure that combined features of pageant wagons, fixed stages, and banquet halls.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Dublin's St Patrick's Festival parade takes place from noon on Wednesday when 3,500 performers will thrill spectators with a stream of ingeniously designed pageants.’
     • ‘Blocking of major city roads during peak hours and uninhibited use of loud speakers and other accessories for the pageants have raised a hue and cry among the public.’
     Synonyms

     pageant, tableau vivant, human representation, parade, diorama, scene

     View synonyms